Teamsters hold pre-vote rally

Patty McClees didn't vote for the Teamsters Union. A registered nurse at Northern Michigan Hospital, McClees said she always felt there was an opportunity to have her voice heard at work.

"The hospital told me I could help make a difference if I served on all of these committees," she said.

And, though she worked the night shift and meetings were typically held in the early afternoon, McClees slept three hours and went to the meetings - it was important that she, not a union, have a say in the care of her patients and her own employment.

"I didn't know we needed a union," she said. "I didn't want to be a Teamster."

But she became dismayed to see all of the committees she was working with disband, while the policies and procedures that had been discussed never left the ground. McClees changed her mind about the Teamsters.

"With a union we have a voice," she said. "Without a union we had no security."

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Things became worse at work. McClees said patients were brought into her unit with illnesses she and her colleagues weren't trained to treat. There was also new equipment that was left to the nurses to figure out, and McClees said she felt the patients weren't receiving proper care.

"There was inadequate training to take care of these patients," she said.

At the same time, about 60 nursing positions were unfilled at the hospital, she said.

"The staffing went from bad to dangerous," she said.

"Every day I went to work my license was on the line. For my sake, I left team leading, that I loved."

McClees said she went to a bargaining session between the hospital and the union and realized that she did not want to be alone in dealing with the administration. She joined the Teamsters nurses, who went on strike Nov. 14, 2002.

"I didn't vote for the union last time," she said. "This time I will."

McClees told her story to a group of about 175 striking nurses, their families and community members at a rally Sunday. The low-key event was just what the strikers needed, said Teamsters business agent Sharon Norton.

"It's an opportunity for them to get together, since most have been working all over the state and country," Norton said. "It's just to encourage them, and show them that we and the community are still behind them. They didn't want a big deal - they are just anxious to have the election over with."

The rally was held just four days before the decertification election, which will determine whether or not the majority of NMH nurses continue to support the Teamsters Union. The first election was held in October 2001, and this Friday will mark the one-year anniversary of one of the longest nursing strikes in U.S. history.

Representatives from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Michigan Education Association, local politicians, the AFL-CIO, Citizens to Save Healthcare and the striking nurses told the group that support is still strong for the cause.

"On behalf of (Teamsters president) Jim Hoffa, I'm here to let you know when he was here in April he made a commitment," said Dave Robinson, a representative from the Joint Council of Teamsters. "When you win this, he'll be here to march you through that door."

"It's been one crazy year in Petoskey," said Horton Bay resident G.T. Long, who placed more than 1,500 signs of support in yards throughout Northern Michigan.

"A new chapter starts this Thursday and needs your vote. Take back that hospital. It's your hospital."

Teamsters lawyer Ted Iorio said the nurses have been a welcome addition to the Teamsters.